'Unhappy Marriage' Could Lead Lincoln Riley Back to Big 12 Roots With Baylor
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The writing seems to be on the wall for Lincoln Riley at USC after their recent loss to Wisconsin. Big bold letters that read, "IT'S NOT WORKING." Southern California just doesn't seem to be the right fit for the Texas native.
Low fan attendance at home games, falling short of fan expectations, and losing key conference games; I get it, the comparisons to former head coach Dave Aranda are there. But USC just isn't the place for Lincoln Riley, who grew up in Texas, sat under the learning tree of Mike Leach, and got to effectively start on 2nd base at Oklahoma after Bob Stoops was fired, but has had success throughout his career. Although I didn't list Riley in my initial HC Hot Board, him becoming Baylor's next head coach isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility.
Baylor Needs Offense
Riley is still that same student of the Air Raid system and product of the Big 12 and could inherit a deep receiving corps at Baylor. Even though Gavin Freeman is the highlight of the receiving unit, he's not the only good set of hands on the team. Speed has been a focus throughout the season for the Bears and Riley's offensive mindset could become a happy marriage. Baylor just spent the last 7 seasons with Dave Aranda's defensive focus, and broke even at 40-40. Riley at USC however, is 41-20.
Big Money Problems
Unlike Dave Aranda's buyout for the remaining time on his contract after being fired being $12 million, Lincoln Riley would be owed $57 million if the same were to happen to him. However, former Athletic Director Mike Bohn was the one who hired Riley. USC subsequently fired Bohn, and was able to obtain Jennifer Cohen's services away from Washington in order to lead the department. Riley’s contract stipulates that his buyout to leave USC would be waived.
Also, if Riley just left after the season, it would be waived. From what's been described as an "unhappy marriage" by USA Today's John Brice to Riley's own comments, there's a disconnect somewhere between the parties.
Three Ways Riley Leaving USC Would Work for Everyone
1. USC saves themselves from having to pay a massive buyout.
2. Lincoln Riley gets a high-resource fresh start in a smaller and less stressful media market
3. Baylor gets an elite offensive-minded coach
Big 12's Closer Away Games
USC in the Big Ten Conference made the Trojans more money, but has made the road schedule a logistical nightmare of airplanes and cross-country games. At a very conservative 3:1 ratio, every USC Big Ten road game travel distances of over 3,000 miles compared to Baylor's Big 12 road games that likely won't see them travel that far throughout the entire season.
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Brad is a writer and contributes to the Baylor Bears on SI, with aspirations to share his own unique thoughts and perspectives with fans. Whether through the facts and figures of the past or the untold potential and triumphs of the future, sports have always been a large influence on Brad's storytelling and life overall. His inspiration to write began while watching sports when he first noticed the highs and lows of each game, each quarter, each play; there's a story in each of them worth telling, and he wanted to tell them.
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